


Spring Showers

by Erron_Stark



Series: Unspoken Love [2]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Aftermath of Violence, Atlas Prosthetic, Blood and Violence, Cherry Tree, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Other, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Sun is an amazing team leader, Trust Issues, background Seamonkeys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-16
Updated: 2020-06-16
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:08:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24759826
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Erron_Stark/pseuds/Erron_Stark
Summary: A simple search and destroy. That’s all it was supposed to be.But it goes horribly wrong, nearly costing Sage and Neptune their lives.Worse than the wounds from the Grimm, though, are the past wounds that are torn open in Scarlet's mind.And yet they move forward together. As a team.
Relationships: Neptune Vasilias/Sun Wukong, Sage Ayana/Scarlet David
Series: Unspoken Love [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1608340
Kudos: 8





	1. SOS

A simple search and destroy. That’s all it was supposed to be. 

Not this. Not laying on the ground fighting to breathe as Neptune finally finishes off the last one of the torrent. 

“Sage, there’s no scroll signal here, I’m sending an SOS to Sun, but he’s probably sleeping, we’re not supposed to get picked up until tomorrow evening,” Neptune’s voice is panicked. 

It’s been storming for the last hour, not helping anything. 

It’s then that Sage feels a frantic double tapping on his arm. It’s from Scarlet. 

One double tap means “Thinking about you”. Repeated means “Please let me know you’re okay” or “I miss you and could use some comfort.”

This fast means that Scarlet is panicking. 

He manages to cross his arms over his chest, rubbing his red bracelet with his finger in attempts to soothe them. 

Then he hears the familiar rumble of a Bullhead’s engine. 

“It’s okay Nep,” he chokes out. 

And the world goes dark.


	2. Falling Apart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Yeah, a few cuts, bruises, couple broken ribs, should be fine in a few days. Sage is on the other side of the curtain though...”
> 
> As Neptune trails off, Scarlet’s body turns to lead.

Scarlet wakes up to Sun’s voice. Talking to someone on his Scroll. 

“Okay we’ll be there, thanks,” Sun says, then closes his scroll. 

Sun looks down at Scarlet, and sees their eyes open. They’d fallen asleep on the couch the night before, hugging each other for comfort after Sun received an SOS from Neptune. 

“How much of that did you hear?” he asks. 

“Nothing, really.”

“Okay. Sage and Nep have been picked up, go get dressed so we can go meet them.”

“Where are we meeting them?”

“You’ll see.”

Nervous, Scarlet goes to dress, and grabs an extra jacket of Sage’s before the two walk to the car. 

Fear ripples through them when Sun pulls into a hospital parking lot. 

Silently they follow him through the lobby, up the elevator, and through the halls. 

Finally Sun opens a door to reveal Neptune sitting in a hospital bed. 

“Oh hey, you made it,” Neptune gives a weak smile. 

Sun rushes over and kisses his boyfriend’s forehead, “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, a few cuts, bruises, couple broken ribs, should be fine in a few days. Sage is on the other side of the curtain though...”

As Neptune trails off, Scarlet’s body turns to lead. 

Sun slowly walks over and pulls the curtain open a few feet. 

A scream tears from Scarlet’s throat. 

Sage is laying unconscious, hooked up to wires, tubes, and all kinds of systems and machinery. 

A nurse glances up from her work, “I’m sorry.”

“What happened?” Sun whispers. 

“His partner says he was clawed by a beowolf alpha. One of his lungs was shredded, his ribs were shattered on that side, there was so much blood, it’s a miracle there wasn’t any damage to his heart, and even more of a miracle that he survived long enough to get help.”

“He’s... he’s going to get better. He’s going to be okay, right?” Scarlet walks over, almost robotically. 

“A few top Atlas technicians are flying in tomorrow. If he can hold on that long, they should be able to help him.” 

Scarlet sinks into the chair at their boyfriend’s bedside, “You’re going to be okay Sage. Please be okay. Please hold on. I love you, Sage. I need you to stay with me.”

“Please get better,” they whisper as Sun walks over and sets his hands on their shoulders. 

Scarlet takes Sage’s hand, and almost pulls back at how cold it is. Sage has always been so warm. 

“Please don’t leave me,” comes out in a sob, and then everything in them breaks. 

Sun stays standing with his hands on their shoulders, letting his own tears fall. Knowing that Neptune is sitting helplessly in the bed on the other side of the curtain. 

His team is falling apart. 

And there’s nothing he can do about it.


	3. Not Alone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I don’t want to be alone again,” they whisper, raw emotion in their eyes and voice. 
> 
> Pleading. Agony. Terror. 
> 
> Sun stands and pulls Scarlet into a hug, “You won’t be. You will never be alone. I promise.”
> 
> “I... I wish I could believe you,” Scarlet clings to their leader with one arm, the other hand still holding Sage’s, “But I can’t. Not right now anyway.”
> 
> Sun feels like he’s been stabbed in the gut.

Sun wakes up to nurses, a doctor, and Atlas personnel walking in. 

Scarlet had cried and moped and panicked through the entirety of the day before, refusing to leave Sage’s side. The curtain had been pulled open so there wouldn’t be a barrier between the four, and the only time Sun had left the room was to refill Scarlet’s water bottle. He couldn’t get them to eat anything, but he did make sure to replace the water they were losing from crying so much. 

Finally they’d cried themself to sleep and Sun had carried them over to Neptune’s bed, so they’d be a bit more comfortable and feel slightly better with someone’s close presence. Sun had let himself fall asleep in a chair against the wall once he made sure his team was as okay as they could be given the circumstances. 

“You’re going to help him?” Sun asks wearily. 

“We’ll do our best, Mr. Wukong,” one of the women says, “He made it this far, he has a chance.”

Sun lets out a breath of relief, and turns his focus to Scarlet and Neptune. They’re asleep still, looking almost peaceful. 

One of the nurses closes the curtain around Sage, and there’s hushed muttering he can’t make out. 

“He’ll get better, they’re going to help him,” he murmurs to himself, then relocates to the chair at Neptune’s bedside. 

For the better part of the morning, people walk in and out, often carrying equipment of some sort with them, and the muttering continues. Thankfully, maybe even miraculously, Neptune and Scarlet stay asleep. 

It’s about noon when Scarlet’s eyes finally rip open. They take a second to gather their surroundings, then bolt upright. 

“Sage-“

“Is being taken care of,” Sun sets a hand firmly on their shoulder to stop them from getting out of the bed, “Atlas people and other doctors and nurses have been in and out all morning.”

“Morning? What time is it?”

“Few minutes after noon. You needed sleep.”

“But he-“

“He made it through the night. And I know that he’s still holding on because they wouldn’t still be working on him if he weren’t.”

Scarlet nods, then lets their head fall into their hands. 

“Headache?” Sun asks, handing them their water bottle. 

Scarlet takes it and drinks some, “You put me here?”

“Yeah. I figured you needed the contact, Nep doesn’t want to be alone either, and a bed would be more comfortable than a chair.”

“What about you?”

“I used the wall as a head rest.”

“That can’t have been comfortable, plus I’m sure you wanted to be with a Nep.”

“Yeah, well. I’m your leader. It’s my job to make sure you’re okay as you can be.”

“Just take care of yourself too, okay?”

“Will do, Scar.”

“And Sun?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you. For taking care of me yesterday. For taking care of all of us.”

You’re welcome. It’s my job.”

“No, really. Thank you. It means a lot. You do so much for us.”

Sun smiles, “Scar, I care a lot about all of you. There’s no way I could not do everything I can to take care of you.”

Scar finds themself returning his smile, though somewhat more weakly. 

“You two are cute and Scar I share the sentiment, plus it’s nice to wake up to my boyfriend’s voice, but I’d like to sleep a little longer,” Neptune groans, stretching. 

Sun kisses his forehead, “Sorry Nep.”

“What time is it anyway?”

“Twenty after noon about.”

“Wait is Sage-?”

Sun squeezes his hand, “Sage is holding on. They’re working on him now. I haven’t heard anything since they told me this morning that he was still alive.”

The three sit and chat for about an hour before a nurse comes in with lunch for them and checks Neptune, changing his bandages, etc. Then about three the curtain surrounding Sage is pulled back. 

“We’ve replaced most of the left side of his chest with the highest level technology we have,” a doctor says, “It may take some adjusting, but he should pull through.” 

All three let out a breath of relief. 

Sun watches Scarlet as tears spring to their eyes, and he can tell that they’re itching to go over to Sage’s bed. 

“Myself and an Atlas doctor will keep an eye on him in case anything comes up, but you’re welcome to see him,” a nurse says. 

Scarlet wastes no time in rushing over. 

From just under Sage’s collarbone to just lower than where his rib cage ends on the other side of his chest is metal on the left side. There’s dark bruising around where the metal was fused to his skin.

They reach out and take his hand, relieved that it’s warmer than it was the day before. 

“Thanks for holding on, Sage,” Scarlet says quietly, “Get better, okay? I love you.”

And maybe they imagine it. But maybe they feel a slight squeeze on their hand. 

They glance back and see Sun climbing into bed with Neptune. 

Time passes, Scarlet stays silent, and they can hear Sun and Neptune occasionally whispering to each other behind them.

Slowly, very slowly, life seems to be returning to Sage. It’s not in any clues that Scarlet can put into words, but they can see it, they can feel it. 

Hours later Sun walks over, pulling them out of their daze. 

“Hey buddy. I brought you some supper. I know you probably don’t want to eat much, but at least have a sandwich and some more water, okay?”

Scarlet nods and takes Sun’s offering. 

“How are you doing?” Sun grabs a chair and sits next to them, eyeing Sage.

“He’s getting better,” Scarlet says, “I know he is. He’s going to be okay.”

“Well that’s good. But I want to know how you are doing.”

“I. I don’t know. I’m honestly surprised I didn’t have any nightmares last night. It’s... been hard to fight off the flashbacks today. But I’m better than I was yesterday. I was. Trapped as a kid for most of it. I’m better now because I know Sage is getting better. There was no answers, no... it all felt the same.”

A few tears fall from Scarlet’s eyes, and Sun reaches over to wipe them away. 

“”I... I actually let myself trust him. It took years, but. He was strong. He was loving. He felt safe. He seemed... invincible. I can’t... I can’t deal with all of that again.”

“You won’t, Scar.”

“I don’t want to be alone again,” they whisper, raw emotion in their eyes and voice. 

Pleading. Agony. Terror. 

Sun stands and pulls Scarlet into a hug, “You won’t be. You will never be alone. I promise.”

“I... I wish I could believe you,” Scarlet clings to their leader with one arm, the other hand still holding Sage’s, “But I can’t. Not right now anyway.”

Sun feels like he’s been stabbed in the gut. He hugs Scarlet tighter, fighting back the tears in his eyes. 

The team had spent years making progress with them, and in one swing it had been undone. 

“We’re hunters, Sun. We’re always in danger. I guess I had just let myself forget that. But when you let your guard down... that’s when you get hurt. Sun, I knew going into this that anyone I could possibly get close to would always be in danger. I guess I just. Let myself believe in a fairy tale after a while.”

Sun closes his eyes, not wanting anyone to see the helplessness he feels. Yet as he opens his eyes after he regains his composure, a look to Neptune shows his boyfriend seems to feel the same way he does.

“It’s. Nice. Not having to live in fear,” Scarlet continues, “But this is the cost. And I’m not going to give up making a difference for safety either. Because I don’t- I don’t want anyone else to have to live like this either.”

“Scar,” Sun hears a voice behind him. 

The voice is raspy, cracked, and barely the volume of a whisper. 

But it’s enough to send Sun back into his chair and bring Scarlet to tears. 

“Sage!” Scarlet cries, the hand that had been clinging to Sun grabbing Sage’s shoulder. 

The nurse and Atlas doctor that had been sitting against the wall before spring to attentiveness. 

The nurse pours some form of liquid down Sage’s throat, then notes Sun’s look of confusion. 

“To clear the dried blood out,” the nurse explains. 

Sage coughs, then lets out a groan. 

Scarlet lowers their head to his shoulder as he squeezes their hand tight. 

“Scar. I’m here. You’re safe.”

His eyes still don’t open. 

Neptune slowly gets out of bed and makes his way over. Sun quickly gives up his chair for his boyfriend. 

“I’m not leaving you.”

His voice is a whisper, but it’s all they need to hear. 

“I’m sorry,” they sob. 

Sage lifts his right hand and runs it through their hair, “I’m right here.”

Scarlet takes a deep breath, “Thank you.” 

“You’re safe, Scar.”

Scarlet sits up again, still holding his hand tight, and he opens his eyes. 

“You’re not going to be alone.”

Sun picks up on Scarlet’s slightly lightened mood and sets a hand on their shoulder with a smirk, “Yeah, sorry buddy. You’re stuck with us annoying you.”

Scarlet gives a tiny smile, and Sage returns a full smile. 

“How are you feeling?” they ask, wiping at their tears. 

“I’m not sure,” Sage’s eyebrows narrow, and with his right hand he slowly feels over his chest, “Is that metal?”

“Atlas people had to use their fancy tech to save you,” Sun explains, “The monster got you good.”

Sage nods slowly. 

“If it makes you feel any better, you’ve still got your own heart?” Sun attempts. 

Sage looks at him for a second before turning his attention to Neptune, “Are you okay?”

Neptune nods, “A few bruises, couple broken ribs, nothing too horrible.”

“Good,” Sage states, before reaching out to Scarlet. 

Scarlet looks at him in hopeful confusion. 

“Come here, Scar.”

They slowly climb into his bed. The nurse and doctor open their mouths to object, but Sun cuts them off with a glare. 

“Mr. Ayana, are you feeling alright?” the nurse asks. 

“I believe so.”

“Then let us know if you need anything. We will leave you alone for now.”

The two leave the room. 

Scarlet rests their head on Sage’s upper arm, their right hand still in Sage’s left, their left hand fidgeting, searching for something to grasp. 

He takes their hand with his right, and kisses the top of their head. 

“I’m here,” he whispers. 

Sun shifts, “We’ll leave you two. Come on, Nep.”

He stands and offers a hand to Neptune, which is taken. Neptune stands, and smiles as his boyfriend wraps an arm around him. The two walk back to Neptune’s bed and lay down together. 

Scarlet and Sage lay in silence for over an hour, not knowing what to say, but finding comfort in each other’s closeness. 

Eventually they fall asleep, at peace knowing the other is there.


	4. Moving Forward

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You’re safe, Sage. You pretty much always have been. When you’re here, somehow, I don’t know how, but things are going to be okay.”
> 
> “I’m so glad I can make you feel safe even when I’m laying in a hospital bed with a chest made out of metal.”
> 
> “None of that matters to me, as long as you’re here.”

Scarlet stirs awake, and looks up at Sage to find his eyes already on them.

“Morning,” Scarlet says. 

“Morning, Scar,” Sage smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. 

“What’s bugging you?” Scarlet asks. 

Sage takes a breath, “Half of my chest is metal now. Technology is breathing for me. I don’t feel much different other than it being a bit stiffer and the parts where it got fused in are definitely sore, but it can’t be all that comfortable for you.”

“Sage, you’re still you even with a bit of metal in your chest. And yeah, your skin is probably a bit softer than the metal, but you’re here, you’re alive, and that’s what matters to me.”

“I failed, Scar. Neptune got beaten up, you’re scared and hurting, I’m sure Sun’s not doing great. And I will always have this part of my chest as a reminder of that.”

“This is what happens in this line of work. Neptune told us yesterday that there were way too many, that by all rights the two of you should have been mauled to death. But you’re so amazing that you came back.”

“Scar-“

“We’re a team, Sage. It’s not going to be easy. But we’ll get through this together. Just like we always do. And you didn’t fail, okay? It’s not your fault either.”

He kisses their head, “Thanks, Scar. 

“I love you, Sage. Even though it’s hard to trust anyone right now. That doesn’t change what you mean to me. Even... even if I get worse and try to push you away again. I promise I love you.”

“I love you too. And I’ll be here. No matter how hard things get for you.”

He knows they can’t bring themself to believe him, but they still want and need to hear him say it. 

“For both of us. This hit both of us pretty hard. But we’ll get better together, yeah?” Scarlet asks. 

“You’re right. How are you feeling?”

“I’m guessing you heard most of it yesterday.”

“I did. But you’re not breaking down right now and you’re always a little different day to day.”

“You’re safe, Sage. You pretty much always have been. When you’re here, somehow, I don’t know how, but things are going to be okay.”

“I’m so glad I can make you feel safe even when I’m laying in a hospital bed with a chest made out of metal.”

“None of that matters to me, as long as you’re here,” Scarlet kisses his shoulder. 

“I am here. And I always will be here for you.”

Scarlet closes their eyes, wishing there were something tangible they could slice or shoot in the fight against their mind. 

“And I’ll be here as you fall and heal.”

Their hand holds his more tightly. 

“I’m sorry,” they whisper. 

“For what?”

“For this.”

“Hmm?”

“For getting bad again. You and Sun and Neptune, especially you, worked with me for years. And I finally thought I was better. Not perfect. But so much better than this. And then all of a sudden, I- I’m the same broken little child again.”

“Scar, it’s not your fault. We’re worried about you, yes, but that’s because we care about you. We’re still going to be here for you.” 

“I’m just. I’m trapped. Even in my name. I’m wrapped in scars, and every time I think I’ve healed they come back up.”

“It’s okay to fall down. But you’ll get back up, I know you will. And I’ll stay with you until you do.”

They press their forehead against the side of his chest, eyes squinted closed, pushing down a sob. 

“Scarlet. Listen to me, please. You’re not a burden. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it as many times as I need to. I want to be here for you. And so do Sun and Neptune. You’re our teammate. Our friend. And my datemate. We all care so much about you. Even at your darkest, you’re not a burden. I love you.”

“O... okay.”

He lets out a breath and squeezes their hands. 

“Okay,” they say again, this time meaning it. 

The two sit in silence for a few minutes. 

“Sage?”

“Hmm?”

“Thank you.”

They don’t have to say for what. He can hear it in their voice. 

“You’re welcome.”

They sink comfortably into silence once more. 

Around noon, doctors come in to do full checks on Sage and Neptune, then declare them fit for discharge as long as they follow careful instructions for further healing at home. 

That evening finds Sun and Neptune snuggled together on the couch, and Scarlet and Sage in the recliner. Scarlet is curled against Sage’s chest, careful to avoid putting pressure on his bruises. One of their hands is wrapped in his while the other holds the collar of the hoodie he wears. The arm of his that isn’t holding their hand is wrapped firmly around them. 

It’s been a long time since they’ve held onto his clothes as they cuddled, but he understands that they’re going to need to for a while until they can heal again. 

And he’s going to be wearing more shirts and hoodies until he can heal anyway. 

Sage and Scarlet have reached a quiet understanding that the past few days hurt them both, and even once the physical wounds heal, the two are going to need to heal together from the other wounds it caused. But somehow, it will be okay.


End file.
